The two behind Choo: A Q&A with Jimmy Choo designers Simon Holloway and Sandra Choi

Jimmy Choo: Footwear brand's directors are low-key

British luxury footwear and accessories brand Jimmy Choo may be as ubiquitous on the red carpet as they are vertiginous, but the brand’s co-creative directors Simon Holloway and Sandra Choi (niece of the Jimmy Choo himself) lead a surprisingly low-key existence.

Born in the U.K. and educated in Hong Kong, Choi relocated to London as a teenager. It was during her design studies at Central St Martins School that Sandra started working with her uncle Choo Yeang Keat (Mr. Jimmy Choo), learning the craft of creating couture shoes. She sketched, cut patterns, stitched, fitted and made constructing lasts. She became the brand’s creative director when it launched in 1996. Today, she and Holloway oversee all aspects of the business from design to imaging.

Holloway began his career with an internship at Chloe working alongside Karl Lagerfeld. He subsequently went on to design for Narciso Rodriguez, Richard Tyler, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren in New York. He joined Jimmy Choo in 2010. Both he and Choi are now based in London, England.

A typical day Sandra Choi: It starts at 6:30 am. I’m a new mom and mornings are all about maximizing my time with my daughter: Making breakfast, getting her dressed and making the school run. I get into the office about 9:30 or 10 a.m. and it is back-to-back-to-back meetings until 8 p.m.: fittings, ad campaign planning, samples. It’s interesting because the way I see collections and our customer base is cyber-based. It’s all done internationally through one cyber shop on the Internet. That’s always in the back of my mind during these meetings. I don’t usually get home until about 8:30 p.m., so I miss seeing my daughter before bed. Hopefully I make it home to have time to have dinner with my husband, then bed. I’m so busy that to drag me out to a nightclub these days, it has to be pretty special. But London is all about switching off the computer after work and going down to the pub to meet your friends. That was my old lifestyle.

Simon Holloway: I used to live in New York, so I try to replicate my New York life in London. I exercise in the morning. I’ll start the morning with a run through Hyde Park or a workout with my trainer at the gym. Then I go the office where I have different types of meetings every hour. It could be more product-related or image driven. After work, I like to go directly out to dinner. No one in New York cooks and I’m like that. I really like to people-watch when I’m out. I find men dress up much more in the U.K. London has changed a lot lately. There are a lot more private member clubs and very chic restaurants. It’s an exciting city.

Recent readsS.C.: With a busy career and a daughter, I don’t have much time to read. My all-time favourite book is To Kill A Mockingbird. I love the character of Atticus Finch. Oh, and I did read the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. I wanted to see what all the hype was about. S.H.: Just Kids by Patti Smith. What I loved about this book is it captured the innocence of a time in New York City. These people weren’t trying to be cool. They just were. It’s a really charming memoir written with a wonderful naîveté.

Favourite films S.C.: I love gangster movies like Scarface. There’s something so glamorous about gangster movies. But I have to say W.E. was beautifully shot. I like that period anyway. The sets and costumes were incredible. S.H.: Chinatown starring Faye Dunaway and Jack Nicholson. There was something about ’70s cinema that wasn’t commercialized in any way. It’s just so cool. There’s a rawness and authenticity to it. We were inspired by ’70s French films with Catherine Deneuve for the spring Jimmy Choo collection.

What was your first foray into fashion as a child?S.C.: I was always making things as a child. I remember cutting up my jeans and making them into bags. My family has a lot to do with why I’m a fashion designer. I used to get sent to summer school where I learned to make sock puppets. (laughs). And I was really good at it. My uncle Mr. Jimmy Choo taught me, whatever you do, make it beautiful. Finish it perfectly. Or the job isn’t done. If you respect what you do, you can get other people to like it.

In rotation S.H.: The XX that plays this kind of cool, dark and sensual music. I think they are amazing. Tomas Barfod from a CD called The Salton Sea. I love the track Don’t Understand. It’s got this ’80s darker vibe to it.

S.C.: I have this Swedish agent guy at home who programs my iPod. He’s called my husband. I’ve got Earth Wind and Fire playing at the moment. It’s perfect to listen to when you are getting ready to go out!